Shoppers in Auckland, Hamilton and the Waikato have dropped off over 25 tonnes of used soft plastic packaging at 93 locations. This is equivalent to around 4.5 million units of soft plastic bags, wrappers and pouches. [ + ]

The Climate Council has issued a 'report card' on the renewable energy progress of Australia's states and territories, grading them on their renewable energy policy settings and performance across indicators such as rooftop solar penetration, large-scale capacity per capita and percentage of renewable electricity. [ + ]

Unilever has announced that it is currently sending zero non-hazardous waste to landfill across more than 600 sites in 70 countries, including factories, warehouses, distribution centres and offices. [ + ]

Standards Australia has announced that it will embark on the process of developing an Energy Storage Roadmap with the support of the COAG Energy Council. [ + ]

Stantec has announced the acquisition of MWH Global, an engineering, consulting and construction management firm focused on water and natural resources for built infrastructure and the environment. [ + ]

The 2016 EECA Awards have honoured winners in 10 categories for a range of projects across business, community and the public sector. [ + ]

Dr Pierre Verlinden has been announced as the winner of the 2016 William R Cherry Award, one of the most distinguished awards in the solar photovoltaic (PV) energy industry. He is the third Australian to win the award. [ + ]

Energy services company Verdia has been appointed the manager of Westpac's Energy Efficient Financing Program. The agreement combines Verdia expertise in energy efficiency and solar projects and network of energy equipment partners with financial expertise from one of the world's most sustainable banks. [ + ]

A new solar cell configuration developed at UNSW has pushed sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency to 34.5%, establishing a world record for unfocused sunlight and nudging closer to the theoretical limits for such a device. [ + ]

A researcher from Victoria University of Wellington is revealing new ways to recycle waste in the Pacific using 3D printing. [ + ]

Swedish researchers have explained how iron-based dyes work on a molecular level in solar cells. The ultimate goal of their study is to be able to use iron-based dyes in solar cells. [ + ]

Solar PV Commercial, a specialist in rooftop solar projects above 50 kW, is currently in the process of relaunching its Power Park product, which is an efficient and effective means of converting any car park into a solar charging station. [ + ]

AMS Instrumentation & Calibration has been appointed exclusive distributor for the rbr Messtechnik range of flue gas analysis, pressure measurement and gas detection instrumentation for Australia, New Zealand and PNG. [ + ]

The municipality of Rotterdam is to introduce the second phase of its Paper and Cardboard Waste Fractions project with Enevo and its Dutch partner, TWS. [ + ]

Westpac and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation are working together to provide Australian businesses with an easier way to take control of their energy costs, using low-cost finance to support investment in energy efficiency projects. [ + ]